Dancing Child (Charleston III)

Paul Manship, Dancing Child (Charleston III), 1927, bronze, 12 ¹⁄₂ x 5 ¹⁄₄ x 3 in. (31.9 x 13.2 x 7.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.29

Artwork Details

Title: Dancing Child (Charleston III)
Artist: Paul Manship
Date: 1927
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
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4th Floor
/
49A
Dimensions: 12 ¹⁄₂ x 5 ¹⁄₄ x 3 in. (31.9 x 13.2 x 7.5 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Paul Manship
Mediums: bronze
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Performing arts — dance — Charleston
Figure male — child — full length
Figure male — child — nude
Recreation — dancing
Object Number: 1966.47.29
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.47.29

Artwork Description

Paul Manship’s series Dancing Children shows chubby infants in characteristic poses from the Charleston, an American dance popular in the 1920s. He was inspired by the story of Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, who killed a snake-demon and danced on the creature’s head in victory. Manship took this image of a dancing child and adapted it to show the American dance.